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Zhao Xintong kicks off World Championship defence by edging past Liam Highfield

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Zhao Xintong made a scrappy start to his Halo World Snooker Championship defence before putting away qualifier Liam Highfield 10-7 at the Crucible.

Zhao triumphed in Sheffield a year ago but was at risk of following in the footsteps of Luca Brecel and Kyren Wilson, who fell at the first hurdle when defending their crown in 2024 and 2025 respectively.

At the end of the opening session he had a wafer thin 5-4 lead over Highfield, who has never won a match in the main draw but soon found himself level-pegging with the world number four.

Zhao’s rough edges continued but he turned the tide by claiming a pivotal 11th frame and wrapped up the best-of-19 clash after a courageous long plant on his first red, opening up the table for a match-winning century.

“Tonight was pressure, it was very difficult for me,” he told BBC Sport.

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“Two days ago I thought I could control that, not now. I just tried to control myself and enjoy the table, but tonight I didn’t do it well. Hopefully next round I can do it.”

A blockbuster second-round match against Chinese compatriot Ding Junhui awaits on Friday, should the latter beat David Gilbert first, and Zhao added: “If I play Ding, everyone keeps eyes on us. If I play with Ding, I’ll feel good.”

Zhao had kicked things off by taking the first two frames of the day, which began with a minute’s applause for John Virgo, the much-loved former player and commentator who died in February.

Breaks of 124 and 128 suggested he was finding some rhythm, but he made a series of uncharacteristic mistakes to let the Englishman back in and would have welcomed the break in play to compose himself.

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When the contest resumed he drew gasps from the crowd when he went in off the pink, Highfield drawing level to bring the upset closer. With the pressure on, Zhao picked the perfect moment to pick up three successive frames, reeling off some outrageous long pots to put move 8-5 ahead.

A horrible miss on a simple black could have cost him the 14th, but a series of errors from both men eventually saw him pick off green and blue to nick a messy frame and go within touching distance. Highfield did not give up, taking the next two, but Zhao’s willingness to take on a low percentage red settled matters.

Barry Hawkins, the 2013 runner-up, took a dominant 7-2 advantage over Matthew Stevens. He was 2-1 down after a slow start but shut out the Welshman for the remainder of the evening, with a top break of 99.

Mark Williams took a 6-3 lead over Polish qualifier Antoni Kowalski but there was little to pick between Xiao Guodong and Zhou Yuelong, with the former edging it 5-4 in the afternoon’s play.

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In the morning session, 14th seed Mark Allen went 5-3 down to Zhang Anda with the Northern Irishman losing three in a row before halting the momentum just before the interval.

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LIV Golf booted a major winner. This week, a ‘new chapter’ starts 

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Bizarre Controversy Hits PSL 2026. Fans Call Team Official’s Justification A ‘Joke’

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A bizarre incident took place during the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026 season. Quetta Gladiators announced Sri Lanka batter Dinesh Chandimal as a direct replacement for New Zealand all-rounder Bevon Jacobs in the middle of the tournament, with the latter set to join his national side. Incredibly, however, both Chandimal and Jacobs played together in Quetta Gladiators’ game against Lahore Qalandars on Friday. The franchise later attempted to clarify how the confusing incident took place, despite an official announcement having already been made.

After the match, Nabeel Hashmi, the General Manager of Quetta Gladiators, tried to reason why Chandimal and Jacobs played together.

Hashmi responded to a fan’s question on social media, stating that English pacer Tom Curran suffered an untimely illness, forcing Chandimal and Jacobs to both play.

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“Tom Curran was unwell and had to stay back in hotel. Chandimal came in for Tom in this particular match,” Hashmi wrote on X.

The explanation was met by criticism from several other fans on social media, with some questioning the legality of such a manoeuvre and others trolling the move.

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What makes the replacement announcement even more intriguing is that Jacobs’ international duties with New Zealand are still more than a week away, beginning from April 27.

Quetta Gladiators went on to win their game against Lahore Qalandars quite comfortably, in what was a rematch of the PSL 2025 final. Lahore Qalandars won the toss and opted to bat, but were skittled out for just 134 in 19.5 overs. Spinner Usman Tariq, who was in the headlines during the T20 World Cup 2026 for his controversial bowling action, picked up three wickets.

In response, South African batter Rilee Rossouw slammed an unbeaten 60, anchoring Quetta Gladiators to victory with 3.4 overs to spare. Chandimal and Bevon Jacobs both batted, with the latter at the crease as his side won the game.


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Delhi vs Mumbai IPL 2026: Fans Flood Arun Jaitley Stadium for High-Voltage Clash

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Want Masters Champions Dinner menu thoughts? Charles Barkley has them

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In talking about the Masters Champions Dinner menu, there are two groups of folks. There are the Masters champions who eat its contents with fork, knife and spoon. 

And there are those who poke and prod it. 

With that, we bring you an exchange this week on “The Steam Room” show, hosted by announcer Ernie Johnson and basketball hall of famer-golf junkie Charles Barkley. They’d been asked what they would put on their menu — and what Barkley thought of this year’s, which was developed by Rory McIlroy. Video of the answers is below, and below that are some thoughts. 

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“>

Before we get to that, here is McIlroy’s complete menu: 

–There were four appetizers: peach and ricotta flatbread with balsamic, hot honey and basil; rock shrimp tempura with creamy spicy sauce; bacon-wrapped dates with goat cheese and almonds; and grilled elk sliders with caramelized onion jam and roasted garlic aioli. 

–There was a first course: yellowfin tuna carpaccio with foie gras, toasted baguette and chives. 

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–There was a choice for the main course: Wagyu filet mignon or seared salmon. With either came traditional Irish champ, sauteed brussels sprouts, glazed carrots with brown butter and crispy vidalia onion rings. 

–There was a dessert: sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream and warm toffee sauce. 

Barkley’s thoughts? He took issue with three items: 

–The peach and ricotta flatbread. “It’s a little too foo-foo for me,” he said. “… You got to have meat on your flatbread.”

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–The bacon-wrapped dates. “Oh, come on. Stop it. That’s the only way you can up f**k up bacon.”

–The yellowfin tuna carpaccio. “That’s like really thinly like — yeah, no, no, no, no.” 

What about the main course? Barkley said this: “You know, I only eat tilapia. And there’s a couple other fish I eat, but not salmon. Branzino, I love branzino. And there’s one more I eat because fish is too fishy for me. I know that sounds stupid.”

And McIlroy’s dessert?  

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“I don’t think you can go wrong with that,” Barkley said.

Here’s what Barkley would have:

–The main course? “I’ll take the fried chicken they got at the Masters. It’s some of the best fried chicken I’ve ever had in my life when I was there.” 

–Appetizers? Shrimp cocktail and crab cocktail. 

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–What else? A Caesar salad, no anchovies. And “some type of vegetarian bulls**t.”

–Any seafood? A dover sole. 

–Dessert? Key lime pie and apple pie and vanilla ice cream.

Additional thoughts?

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Said Johnson: “I don’t even know what to say.”

Said Barkley: “Yummy.”

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Tony Khan to counter Paige’s WrestleMania 42 return by hiring 4-time WWE champion to AEW? Analyzing the chances

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Earlier tonight at WrestleMania 42, Paige (fka Saraya) made her long-awaited return to WWE for the first time in almost four years. Could Tony Khan counter this move by bringing in a beloved name to AEW?

The former WWE Divas Champion came out tonight as Nikki Bella’s replacement, as she was unable to fight through her ankle injury. This was an incredible return, as in the end, she and Brie Bella would end up winning the women’s tag team titles.

AEW has a stacked women’s division, and there is no shortage of stars who could steal the show. But one name who they were once interested in has been making waves after making her in-ring return following her release from WWE last year. This would be Charlie (fka Dakota Kai).

Her match with Kris Statlander last month was highly talked about within the wrestling world. She also faced off with Shotzi Blackheart earlier this week on HOG. Seeing as she is more active in the ring, Tony Khan could end up offering her an AEW deal. The promotion was reportedly interested in her a few years ago, but she chose to return to WWE. Now they could finally bring her in.


The former WWE Superstar is open to going to either AEW or any other major promotion

A few months ago, Dakota Kai finally broke her silence on her wrestling future, as she remains a free agent.

While appearing on Busted Open Radio, she mentioned how she was open to joining either AEW or TNA, seeing as there are a lot of names on their rosters she would love to face. She revealed that she hadn’t given it much thought, but hopefully her return to the ring pushes her to go all the way and get back into wrestling fully.

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“I think once I get back into it, both [AEW and TNA] and so many more have people that I would love to face in the ring. I haven’t really like pinpointed it down to any particular thing. I just think once I do this match [against Kris Statlander] and get the wheels turning again and doing all that, wherever my path may lead, I’m open to it completely,” she said. [H/T – WrestlePurist on X]

Charlie (FKA Dakota Kai) says there’s talent in both AEW and TNA she’d love to face, is open to any path: “I think once I get back into it, both [AEW and TNA] and so many more have people that I would love to face in the ring. I haven’t really like pinpointed it down to any

It has been a while since then, and seeing as she has been making appearances in the independent circuit, it may not be long before she signs with a major promotion. She continues to be well-liked among the fans, and it will be interesting to see how things go for her if she goes back to wrestling full-time.